A Guide To A$AP Mob In 2017

Silver screen depictions of Italian Mob life often portray the members as dangerous, loyal, and professional. A mob is more than a gang, it’s a family of powerful and influential men that control their own destinies, and move with conviction. Each member of the cinematic mob serves a distinct purpose, and must bring something of value to the crew. Something that makes the mob stronger as a united front, a collectively beneficial quality or trait. An intangible that is unique and profitable, or a skill that is essential to the prosperity of the mob are valuable assets that are necessary for growth and success. As if they were birthed from a Martin Scorsese script, the A$AP Mob embodies all of the characteristics of a cinematic mob. The fierce camaraderie and blind loyalty between the members of the A$AP collective are reminiscent of the kinship displayed in Hollywood gangster flicks. The ability to capture a cinematic aesthetic and convert it into a dominant hip-hop movement was all the work of A$AP Yams. Yams, the heart and soul of the A$AP Mob, is the man responsible for the success of the first New York crew to make it big since G-Unit. Rarely has a collective with such an eclectic style influenced the direction of hip-hop as immaculately as the A$AP Mob.

Until three insanely clever New York natives created a crew that would infiltrate hip-hop and change the game, New York rap was on a decline. Breathing life into the east-coast would be no easy feat, and A$AP Yams, the mastermind, concluded that a change needed to be made. Jadakiss, a god and a pioneer in the New York hip-hop scene, once rapped, “Fuck is everybody so mad at the south for/ learn how to switch ya style up, go southpaw.” Yams took heed of the LOX member’s advice and studied every aspect of hip-hop. From the boom bap of early New York hip-hop, to the chopped and screwed melodies of Texas, Yams would draw influence from every corner of the rap map. He functioned as a hip-hop encyclopedia, and used his knowledge to manipulate the infiltration of his crew into the competitive music and fashion industries. Born Jesus Steven Manuel Rodriguez Paulino, A$AP Yams is one of three founding members of the Mob. He orchestrated the Mob’s ascension to fame and fortune, but the young boss passed away in 2015. Although the cause of death was officially labeled a drug overdose, A$AP Rocky told MTV that Yams' sleep apnea led him to choke on his own vomit in his sleep.

Yams’ passing rocked the crew to its core, and an official Yams Day Festival was created in his honor. A$AP Bari, Yams' childhood friend, is another founding member of the Harlem based hip-hop collective. Bari was the genius that connected Yams and Rocky, a friendship that would ultimately put the Mob on the map. A$AP Illz, the last of the founding members, is the Mob’s model. Together the orchestrator, the mastermind, and the model built the foundation of the hottest Harlem crew since Dipset. The Mob boasts a colossal roster, and keeping up with the entire crew can be complicated. Like every crew, there’s front players and back players. Many fans are only familiar with the faces that repeatedly grace GQ covers and get heavy spins at the local club, but every member of A$AP Mob is instrumental to the crew’s continued success.

Here’s a full breakdown of the A$AP Mob's roster.

Real Name: Rakim Mayers

Role: Rapper, Director, Fashion Designer, Model, Actor

The man that put the Mob on the map. Rakim Mayers is the most popular member of the crew. Named after the legendary New York lyricist, Rocky is the most commercially successful member of A$AP Mob (that would come with the 'most popular' territory). As the story goes, A$AP Bari repeatedly pushed Rocky’s music to A$AP Yams, who initially ignored him. Rocky would join the crew after the founding members already created A$AP collective. Prior to even releasing his debut mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP, he began buzzing online when his "Purple Swag" music video went viral, paired with the leaked song off the mixtape, "Peso." These two records were seemingly enough to lead to a major deal, worth a reported $3 million, with Polo Grounds Music, a subdivision of Sony/RCA. The deal wouldn't just put him on, but the collective too, with $1.7 million allotted for Rocky's solo deal and $1.3 million to go towards A$AP Mob Worldwide imprint. His debut tape would arrive quickly after, and soon after that, Lord Flacko released his debut album Long.Live.A$AP, which featured the club banger and hit single “Fuckin’ Problems.” The album earned Rocky a platinum plaque and solidified his position in the game. Rocky’s sophomore effort, At.Long.Last.A$AP, was released in 2015; fans are currently patiently awaiting a new project. Along with rapping, A$AP Rocky also directs music videos, produces, designs clothing, models (he just landed the cover of GQ Style this week), and acts.

Choice Cut: “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2”

Random Fact: A$AP Rocky enjoys classical music.

Currently: Several hints from Rocky himself let us know that A$AP Rocky’s third studio album is definitely on the way-- perhaps even before the year closes. He will also be featured in the upcoming movie Monster, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Nas, and Jeffery Wright.

Real Name: Darold D. Brown Ferguson Jr.

Role: Rapper

A$AP Ferg is arguably just as famous as A$AP Rocky. The two both hail from Harlem, having met in high school. Ferg's style can be described as unpredictable and energetic. His family has a history with the music industry, too-- his father owned a boutique shop that printed out logos on merchandise for record labels. In fact, Ferg’s father worked with Diddy on the Bad Boy logo. He originally went to art school, and pursued a career in fashion, designing for a period of time, before entering the rap game. Since his introduction to the world on A$AP Rocky’s “Kissing Pink,” Ferg has released two albums, Trap Lord and Always Strive and Prosper (which is what ASAP stands for). “Work,” has been the biggest single of his career, but “Shabba” is verified gold by the RIAA and gets an equal amount of love in the club, perhaps moreso a fan favorite. Despite the nickname, the Trap Lord claims that he wasn’t selling drugs, his hustle was one that always centered on creativity and artistic pursuits.

Choice Cut: “New Level” featuring Future

Random Fact: A$AP Ferg would love to work with R. Kelly

Currently: Recently, Ferg dropped a new mixtape called Still Striving, and is working with Adidas on his Trap Lord shoe collection.

Real Name: Jabari Shelton

Role: Co-founder, Fashion Designer, Creative

Jabari Shelton, aka A$AP Bari, co-founded the A$AP Mob with A$AP Yams and A$AP Illz. Bari got most of the A$AP crew into fashion and helped create the clothing line VLONE. He is allegedly the reason that A$AP Rocky joined the Mob, after convincing Yams to listen to his music. Although he does not create music, Bari works behind the scenes managing the Mob and networking for the crew. VLONE made its fashion week debut this past summer at Paris Fashion Week, and a series of pop-up shops around the world, including at NYFW. However, the summer would end on a controversial note for Bari, as he was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman, which resulted in a slight fallout with the Mob, while Nike ended their partnership with VLONE. Bari has denounced the video, and settled with the woman outside of court. 

Random Fact: Bari originally wanted to name the Mob PIF for Paid in Full.

Currently: The A$AP Mob creator was the center of a controversy when a leaked sexual assault video surfaced in July. He's called the video "misleading."

Real Name: Jamel Phillips

Role: Rapper

Young Jamel Phillips, or A$AP Twelvyy, is the latest Mob member to release an album. His debut project 12, was released in August, but Twelvyy has been on the scene for years now. He first caught the world’s attention with a guest verse on A$AP Rocky’s “Trilla,” which was on Live.Love.A$AP, and has been releasing a slew of singles since. 12 features appearances by Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies, Fredo Starr, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Nast, and A$AP Ant. It's a veritable New York affair. A$AP Yams originally introduced Twelvvy to Rocky at a house party. 

Choice Cut: “Heaven Can Wait” featuring Emillz

Random Fact: Twelvyy is a sneakerhead, and has a massive shoe collection.

Currently: Although his new album 12 hasn’t been successful commercially, critics and fans have given Twelvyy’s debut album good reviews.

Real Name: Tariq Devega

Role: Rapper

Tariq Devega originally went by the name New York Nast, until he joined the Mob, of course. A$AP Nast is a cousin of A$AP Rocky, so naturally he was brought on board when the Mob started to gain traction in New York. While other members of the Mob have a rapping style that draws influence from the south, Nast creates the most quintessential east coast sounding music of the crew. His delivery and style are reminiscent of early Wu-Tang, which may have been the reason Method Man collaborated with Nast on “Trillmatic.” Hopefully, we’ll get a solo album from Nast in the near future.

Choice Cut: “Nasty’s World” featuring Onyx

Random Fact: The group Nirvana is one of A$AP Nast’s biggest inspirations.

Currently: Although we hope he is recording a debut album, Nast just introduced a collaboration sneaker with Converse.

Real Name: Illijah Ulanga

Role: Co-founder, Designer, Model, Curator

Bronx-born A$AP Illz is a founding member of the Mob. Unlike A$AP Rocky, who is first and foremost a rapper but has emerged as a force in the fashion world, Illz is a model, with pursuits in fashion coming first. He’s become linked to brands such as DKNY and Stussy within a few short years. Illz favorite brands include Raf, Goyard, and Ann Demeulemeester, although the young fashionista does prefer thrifting. He is credited with the idea to bring fashion to the forefront of the Mob's aesthetic. 

Random Fact: A$AP Illz meditates in the morning.

Currently: Working on a jewelry and clothing line. 

Real Name: Adam Kirkman

Role: Rapper, Designer

A$AP Ant, also known as YG Addie, doubles a rapper and designer for his clothing brand Marino Infantry. He's the sole member of the collective that's not actually from New York, as a Baltimore resident. His connection to the Mob was through Yams, which would eventually lead to Ant styling Rocky and coming on board as an official member, while he continued his Marino brand. He's attested to the fact that Marino  was inspired by Pharrell William’s ICECREAM brand. Just like Pharrell’s brand, Ant’s brand also features a competing skating team. Celebrities such as Odell Beckham Jr., 2 Chainz, and Metro Boomin have rocked Marino, and A$AP Rocky’s video “Peso” features some of Ant’s early work. Although is rap career is still upcoming, Ant has featured on a bunch of the Mob’s tracks, such as “Bath Salt,” “Hella Hoes,” and “Yamborghini High.” Back when Rocky was first gaining national attention, A$AP Ant threatened to smack Tyler, the Creator after he interpreted a cryptic tweet as a shot at his Mob brother. That’s loyalty.

Choice Cut: "Coke & White Bitches"

Random Fact: A$AP Ant has never skateboarded.

Currently: Ant wants to spend more time making music in the future, and also wishes to expand Marino.

Real Name: Tyshaun Holloway

Role: Producer, Rapper

Every crew needs a dope in-house producer. Ty Beats, not to be confused with A$AP TyY, produced "Peso" and "Purple Swag" for A$AP Rocky, which launched both of their careers into superstardom-- not to mention, the rest of the Mob. Since helping Rocky break with Southern-swagged out beats, Ty Beats has had a rocky relationship with the Mob. A few years ago, he went on a since-deleted Twitter rant where he claimed A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg were living lavishly, while he was living in his car. Since that situation devolved, Ty Beats has only produced a handful of tracks for the Mob, and generally remains off the scene. However if recent leaks are any indication, the relationship might be weathered, but not done yet (see below). It's worth noting, too, that Ty Beats boast WeHavingFun as his current label home on Soundcloud.

Choice Cut: "Peso" by A$AP Rocky

Random Fact: Ty Beats met A$AP Rocky through Facebook. 

Currently: Earlier this summer, a leaked A$AP Rocky track entitled “Feeling Good” hit the internet, sparking rumors that Ty Beats and Rocky are back in the studio.

Roles: Curators, DJs, Cozy Generals

A$AP Snacks (J. Scott) and A$AP Lou (Lou Banga) are touring DJs for the Mob and run the Cozy Boys, for all intents and purposes, a sub-collective to the Mob. J. Scott is Atlanta-born, but a friend to A$AP Yams, who was around during the Mob come-up and thus proved to be a helpful source at that time. Lou was actually brought on stage as an extremely eager fan during one infamous New York show. Not your average white boy, it seems, he quickly infiltrated the crew to become an official Mob member, and basically lived out any A$AP superfan's dream. A$AP Yams was the pioneer of the "cozy" language, which the duo adopted into Cozy Boyz, veering away from their previous collective BlackOutBoyz. The duo create plenty of Cozy Boys and Mob-approved mixes, on top of touring together. 

Choice Cut: “Fuck Cozy Boys II”

Random Fact: A$AP Snacks and A$AP Lou were in a collective called the BlackOutBoyz before joining the Mob.

Currently: The Cozy Boys are currently on tour with the Mob.

Real Name: Patricio Contreras

Role: Producer

Patricio Contreras started as a visual artist, drawing sketches at a young age. As his creative appetite grew, A$AP P on the Boards started rapping, and soon after, he matured into a producer as well: "I figured I couldn’t really express myself artistically with just words, I felt like I needed more mediums," he told the Village Voice in a 2013 interview, "So I just started making beats and it was like I could express how I feel or an emotion or how I want to make people feel and they could hear it."

A$AP Ant was the first Mob member that P on the Boards met. P admired the Marino brand, and the two clicked that way. After hanging out for awhile, Ant expressed his vision for rapping and P supplied the beats. A$AP Rocky ended up liking the Ant and P collab, "Ridin Round Slow," and after also getting the greenlight from ASAP Yams, he was invited to join the Mob. The Mob hit “Bath Salt,” was P’s first big record with the crew, while A$AP Ferg’s “Dump Dump” has become a rap cult classic.

Choice Cut: “Now You Know” by Ab-Soul

Random Fact: A$AP P on the Boards worked as a birthday party event laborer, building blow-up bounce houses. He quit after the first day.

Currently: Working on beats for the Mob, and hopefully A$AP Rocky’s next album.

Real Name: Tyrone Walker

Role: Rapper

Tyrone Walker aka A$AP TyY is the madman of the Mob. He is a daredevil who enjoys street-racing and performing stunts on his four-wheeler. DMX, Dave Mirra, and Mat Hoffman all inspired TyY to dive into the extreme sports culture. When he isn’t popping wheelies in Harlem, TyY brings the same crazy energy to his music. He often yells over instrumentals as if the quad engines diminished his hearing, and he creates some of the best turn-up tracks in the Mob. He released his debut mixtape in 2016, Best Kept Secret, which, surprisingly, contained no A$AP Mob contributions. However the affiliation is clearly still intact, as he makes a lone appearance on the recent Cozy Boys Tape Vol. 2. He may be one of the lesser-known Mob members, but he makes his loyalty to the Mob extremely clear across his socials.

Choice Cut: “Owell”

Random Fact: A$AP TyY once broke his ankle while stunting.

Currently: TyY has been promoting his single “Trump,” and selling exclusive ski goggles with KidSuper.

Real Name: Steven Rodriguez

Role: Co-Founder, CEO, Legend

In an interview with The New York Times,Yams described himself as the Yoda to Rocky's Luke Skywalker. He was a man with a vision, and his role in the Mob was of the utmost importance. Before the Mob rose to fame, Yams was the director of a now defunct Tumblr account called RealNiggaTumblr.

www.realniggatumblr.tumblr.com is the best underground music blog out.

While A$AP Rocky worked on perfecting his flow behind the scenes, Yam used Tumblr to curate a mix of eclectic hip-hop, nerdy references, and random gangster flicks. The account became famous years before the Mob did, and Yams used it as a platform to help launch Rocky's career, basically. Yams was a brother to many, and a leader, who partied hard and worked even harder. He had Xanax bars tattooed on his arm, with the prophetic statement "Black Out" alongside it. Before his untimely death in 2015, Yams had orchestrated the rise of the biggest crew to make an impact in New York rap since G-unit, while never sacrificing his character. RIP. 

Choice Tweet: 

SELFIE WITH THE MAILMAN FOR NOT BRINGING ME NO BILLS TODAY pic.twitter.com/sy0ofVc1Im

Random Fact: Yams had an internship with Diplomats Records at the age of 16.